The Kirsten
by matthewsbj
Summary: NOW COMPLETE - A short series of stories showing the evolving relationship between Kirsten and Ryan after a nasty charity event.  AU, set sometime during season 2.  Ok, maybe not so much AU, but rather some things I would have liked to see.
1. The Kirsten aka Mother Bear

**The Kirsten/Mother Bear**

All Ryan could do was stand there, mouth slightly ajar. He had the look of a deer caught in the headlights of on oncoming car. And the current oncoming car just happened to be a Newpsie at the current party to which he and his brother had been dragged. He wasn't sure why this Newspie was spewing verbal bile at him, but he took a very small amount of comfort in the fact that he was not alone. He chanced a couple of glances at his brother to his left; he had a similar expression on his face. Both of them were shocked at her ranting. The only person who ever spoke to him this vehemently was Caleb. Since he was in the middle of a European vacation with Julie that was to last a few more weeks, he wondered for a moment if this particular Newpsie was channeling Caleb. But quickly dismissed it, as it would have been also his grandson that was also being reamed out at the moment.

After a few more minutes of being vilified in front of everyone, Ryan noticed movement from the crowd that had formed around them. He glanced to his right and noticed the crowd part and Kirsten emerged. It took her just a moment to take in the scene before The Kirsten made an appearance. She quickly made her way over and placed herself between Seth and Ryan, and the enraged Newpsie. Ryan watched her as she moved, and she somewhat reminded him of a mother bear come to protect her cub.

"Who the hell do you think you are? What gives you the right to talk to them like that?" Kirsten shot back to the deranged Newpsie.

Before she could respond, Ryan decided to speak for the Seth, as well, and try to limit the fallout from this encounter, "Kirsten, its ok. Can we just maybe go home, now?" Seth quickly shot him a glance, which he chose to interpret as gratitude.

Kirsten turned to him and responded, somewhat curtly, "No, Ryan. It's not ok. _No one_ gets to talk like that to my sons, or anyone else in my family!" With that she turned and continued her own verbal attack on the Newpsie.

That was all Ryan really needed to hear. He wasn't listening to any of the other things Kirsten was saying to the lady that had so nastily lashed out verbally to them. The Kirsten was definitely in full swing, a mother bear protecting her cubs – plural – that now seemed to include him. It was a somewhat new experience for him, but one that he found he was relishing at this moment. He didn't need to listen to anything else she was saying. He was simply content to bask in the protection of this mother bear; _his_ mother bear.


	2. The Game

**The Game**

It wasn't often that Ryan got to enjoy a night at home by himself. He wasn't paying that much attention to his ninja on the big screen in front of him. He wanted some time by himself so he could think and try to put some voice to his thoughts, especially after the fact that Kirsten called him her son and the way she stood up for him at the party yesterday. After an hour or two of silence, his thoughts were starting to get to him, so he had decided to turn to video games to try and get his mind onto something else. Unfortunately, the game wasn't completely keeping his attention; his mind was still wondering. He was on his third or fourth ninja battle when Kirsten walked in the front door.

"I'm home. Anyone else here?" she called through the house from the foyer.

"In here," he called from the den, putting the game on pause.

"Oh. Hi, Ryan. Where's Seth? I though you guys had plans tonight?" she asked, a little confused when she say Ryan on the couch with the game controller.

"Well, Lindsay ended up having to do something with her mom tonight, and I didn't want to be the third wheel on Seth and Alex's date. Besides, I probably wouldn't have been much fun tonight; I've had a lot on my mind recently. I just wanted a nice, quiet night at home."

Sitting down next to Ryan on the couch, she replied, "And it's pretty hard to have a quiet night with Seth around, isn't it?"

When he just gave her one of his sideways glances and a half-smile, she laughed and said, "Oh, honey. I love him dearly, but you and I are definitely the quiet ones."

She turned to him slightly on the couch, "Do you want to talk about what's on your mind?"

He turned his head towards her slightly and looked at her through this bangs, "Not right now. I think I need a little more time to think stuff through and organize my thoughts. But, I know you guys are here when I'm ready."

They sat there for a moment or two in comfortable silence. Kirsten was massaging her temples from a long, stressful day. If she had looked at Ryan, she would have noticed he was deep in thought, and his lips were moving slightly, as though he was trying to assign words to thoughts. Finally, he spoke.

"Thanks, you know, for yesterday," he told her quietly.

It took Kirsten a moment to realize that had spoken, another moment to register what he said, and a third to remember what it was that he would be thanking her for.

She reached out and patted his arm, "Oh, sweetie, you're welcome!"

"I've just never had anyone do that for me before. No one could or would stand up for me like that before."

"Oh, sweetie. Well, you do now, and I meant everything I said. No one gets to talk like that to you anymore."

He gave her a little smile and ducked his head from her view.

Sensing that he was getting a little uncomfortable with what she was saying, she decided to change the subject. "Do you mind if I join you for a couple of rounds? It was a bear at work, and feel like blowing off some steam. Plus, Seth never lets me play because he doesn't think I'm good enough. I want to get in some practice so I can beat both my boys."

Ryan laughed at the idea of this sophisticated woman, who in his mind was becoming more and more his mother, playing video games and attacking electronic ninjas. He was really beginning to enjoy his life more and more.


	3. The Question

_I apologize this took so long to get the second chapter up. It took me a little bit to figure out how best I wanted to bring it to a conclusion. The ideas in my head just didn't seem that good written out. It is considerably longer then the previous two chapters, and hope it doesn't seem too rushed. I also apologize for there being no Seth, but I have a hard time writing Seth and his lines. Thanks for the reviews._

_Anyway, here's the final chapter of _The Kirsten...

**The Question**

Kirsten shuffled into the kitchen seeking her morning coffee, thinking it was way too early to be up and about. She was a bit confused to find the coffee already made; Sandy normally didn't make coffee before going surfing. She also noticed the doors leading from the kitchen to the patio were open.

"Maybe Sandy decided not to go surfing so early after all," she thought as she poured herself a steaming mug. She then made her way outside to join her husband, when she was stopped short at the doorway. She was surprised to see Ryan up this early. He was always up in time for school, but being up at 6 am was almost unheard of for either of her boys.

She found herself smiling at his disheveled, sleepy appearance. He was still dressed in his sleep pants and t-shirt, barefoot, and his hair sticking up in every direction. He had his feet propped up, resting on the seat cushion of one of the other chairs, staring out over the ocean. She realized just how relaxed he looked. For some reason, she always enjoyed seeing her boys in this state of sleepiness. It gave them a sense of vulnerability, almost transporting them to a much younger age where they would have needed her for everything. She felt a slight pang in her heart as she thought about all that she missed out on not being Ryan's mother for the first part of his life.

She pushed those thoughts out of her mind as she thought about the time she got to spend with her son now; she was going to make up for that "lost" time. A small smile crept across her face as she made her way to the chair opposite him, clearing her throat as she walked so as to not startle him too badly. "Good morning, Ryan. You're up awfully early this morning?"

He couldn't help but jump a little, but he recovered quickly. "Good morning. You're up early, too. Why are you up so early?"

"I was just about to ask you the same thing. Sandy got up early to go surfing. He wanted to be back in time to have a family breakfast before we all left for the day." She noticed that Ryan sat up a little bit straighter, as though he was a little bit more uncomfortable. "It's something he wants to do more. In addition to family dinners, he wants to have occasional family breakfasts." She waited a moment as she took a drink of her coffee, and then asked, "So, why are you up so early? I didn't think there was anything that could get you or Seth up any earlier then you absolutely had to." She wanted to keep things light.

He took a sip of his own coffee, buying some time to consider whether he should open up to her or not. "I couldn't sleep very well. You know, deep thoughts and all", he said, shooting her a shy slide glance before resuming his starring contest with his mug of coffee.

Keeping her voice even and calm, she asked, "Are you ready to talk about what's on your mind?"

He was starting to bite his nails, a sure indication that he was getting nervous. "I think so, but I wanted to talk with both of you."

Kirsten had already picked up on his increased nervousness ever since she mentioned Sandy's early surfing trip. It was starting to make her a little nervous, but she refused to let her son see it. "Well, Sandy will be back in a little bit. We can talk then."

His nervousness kicked up another notch. He didn't know who much longer he could keep this to himself. He practically jumped up to his feet and started pacing a little bit as he muttered, "Crap!" After taking a breath, he turned in Kirsten's direction and said, "I was hoping to talk to you guys this morning, before I lost my nerve and courage, and back out like I have a couple of times the last couple of days."

She was really starting to get scared with the way Ryan was acting. She tried to calm him down, "Ok, honey. Listen, if it's that important, let's talk about it now, and we can always fill Sandy in later. Come on, sit down and talk to me."

It only took Ryan a moment to think about it before he sat back down, took a swig of his coffee and a deep breath, and then spoke quietly. "I have so much to be thankful for. Especially after spending the summer in Chino like I did, I realize just how much I have to be thankful for. I'm so thankful for you guys taking me in, _again_, for everything you've given me, for the allowance you give me." The tips of his ears tinted a bit and he dipped his head bashfully a moment before he regained his composure and continued. "I'm also thankful for the education you're paying for, and all the opportunities you're giving me."

He paused and took another swig of his coffee before opening his mouth again. "I'm also thankful for the home you've welcomed me into, as well as the family you've let me be a part of. Most especially, though, over the last couple of days I realize how thankful I am that you've allowed me to be your son and that you've agreed to be my mom."

Kirsten was smiling back at him, wanting to respond to the things he mentioned, but also not wanting to discourage him from talking. It was rare that he spoke like this; she wasn't going to blow it by cutting him off.

Ryan took a final swig of his coffee as he glanced up at Kirsten a couple of times uncertainly through his bangs. As he started talking again, he started stuttering, another sign of his nervousness, "What I, uh, wanted to ask you guys, well, you see, I was kind of wondering, if...you would mind, if you would let me call you guys, um.., mom and dad?" He was practically hyperventilating when he finished.

He hadn't looked at her since he started talking the last time. He was _really_ starting to get nervous with Kirsten's silence, thinking that she was trying to figure out how to let him down easy. If he had been looking at her, he would have seen the ear-to-ear smile that appeared on her face, the tears of happiness that started running down her cheeks, the look of pure joy that emanated from her face like the sun.

She swiped at her tears as she got up and moved to one of the other chairs closer to Ryan and sat on its edge. Reaching out to him, she gently lifted his chin until she found his blue eyes that were laced with uncertainty. She smiled lovingly at him and said, "Oh, I would love it if you called me Mom. Sandy—I mean, _your father_—doesn't have to be here, because I know that he will love, almost as much as I will, you calling him Dad!" With that, she pulled him into a tight embrace, and for the first time, he allowed himself to _really_ hug her back, and enjoyed being held by his mother.

When they pulled away from each other, Ryan noticed that Kirsten still had a look of pure joy and love on her face. She kept a hand on his arm. "This is one of the happiest days of my life, sweetie. It's right up there with the day that Sandy—I'm sorry, _your father_—and I got married, and the day Seth was born."

He dipped his head again, after shooting her a shy smile. "You guys are better parents to me in a day than my biological parents were for the past 15 years combined. Seems like the least I can do is recognize you for that."

Kirsten finally let go of his arm and leaned back in her chair, still smiling. "Now, I know that you're going to want to be straight forward with your father and tell him right away, but I'd like to ask you to do something."

He looked up at her, slowly raising an eyebrow, betraying his curiosity. "What?" he asked cautiously. If there was anything he had learned from his _Dad_, the lawyer, it was: Don't agree to anything outright until you've heard it all.

Kirsten began telling him of her plan. He tried to object a couple of times, but after Kirsten asked him to "indulge his mother", how could he not go along with her?

* * *

><p>Later that morning, after Ryan had showered and gotten ready for his day, practically skipping (which he would never admit to anyone) due to Kirsten's—his mother's—response to the question that had consumed him so for the past several days, he made his way back to the kitchen. He entered the kitchen with a smile still plastered to his face. He found his mother there, as well, with a similar smile on her face. They were alone. He was still a little nervous about her plan to tell his father, but he had agreed, so he had to follow through with it now.<p>

Kirsten passed him on her way to the kitchen table with a fresh cup of coffee and brushed a hand over his face, still smiling. "Relax, honey. He'll love it. Trust me."

He leaned slightly into her touch and nodded at her reassurance. They could here Sandy coming from down the hall, and Ryan made his way over to the coffee maker and poured two mugs; one for himself and one for his father. As he walked into the kitchen, Ryan made one more glance at Kirsten, who smiled reassuringly, and a bit conspiratorially, back at him.

Quickly, Ryan handed one of the cups to Sandy and said, "Morning, dad. Coffee? How was surfing?" He glanced at Kirsten and she slightly nodded her head at him in approval. She still had a smirk on her face.

Sandy gratefully took the mug of coffee and smiled. "Surfing was great today. There were a couple…" He stopped in mid-sentence as all of Ryan's words finally hit him. He put his mug down on the counter. A broad grin formed on his face as he turned towards his son, and pulled him into the second tightest embrace Ryan had found himself in that day.

When Sandy released him, he looked at him and said, "Kid, you don't know how much I've wanted you to call me that. And not to discourage its continued use, but why now?"

Ryan tilted his head to indicate Kirsten, sitting at the table with a satisfied grin, and said, "Well, _mom_ and I talked about it this morning. You guys have been better parents then Dawn and Frank ever were, so I asked her if it was ok if I could call you guys mom and dad, and she said yes. She made me do the whole subtle thing. I wanted to talk to you about it right away."

Kirsten's mouth flew open in mock anger. "Did you just sell me out? You just remember this the next time you get into trouble. Don't expect me to be on your side."

Ryan hung his head in mock shame. Sandy threw his arm over Ryan's shoulder and looked at him seriously. "You know, you've been our son for a while now. I'm glad that you finally accepted your place in this family."

Ryan's face turned red slightly, he locked eyes with his father, and quietly replied, "I'm glad I did, too."

Sandy picked his mug up again and took a healthy swig, his arm still around Ryan. He then put the mug down quickly, open his eyes wide, and snapped his fingers. "I got it! After news like this, we can't spend the day at work and school. Has Seth been down?"

Kirsten and Ryan both shook their heads. "I haven't seen him yet," Ryan answered.

Sandy patted him on the back, "Well, go get your brother and tell him that you boys aren't going to school today and we aren't going to work. We're spending the day together, as a family."

Not one to miss a day of school, and knowing his brother was the same way, mock-saluted his father and said, "Yes, sir." He practically ran off towards the stairs before his mother could stop him.

After he was out of the room and up the stairs, Sandy made his way over to his wife. He pulled her up out of the chair and gave her a tight hug and a long, hard kiss. He could tell by her smile as well that she was just as happy that they finally ended up with the second child they had always wanted, and that Ryan had finally accepted them as his parents.


End file.
